How Gunner Stockton’s Unexpected Start Last Season Sparked Georgia’s Playoff Push
When Gunner Stockton took the field in last year’s College Football Playoff, he wasn’t supposed to be there - at least not yet. But when Carson Beck went down during the SEC Championship against Texas, Stockton was thrust into the spotlight. And while the moment may have arrived sooner than expected, it’s clear now: that experience changed everything.
Heading into this year’s playoff, Stockton holds a unique edge over every other quarterback in the field - he’s the only one who had already started a playoff game before this season. That’s not just a trivia nugget.
It’s a real, tangible advantage. And Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows it.
“We knew the minute - when we realized at halftime of the Texas game that Carson couldn’t go - Gunner was going to be our guy,” Smart said this week. “And as much as you say, ‘Well, he’s new, he hasn’t done it,’ you also say, ‘There’s a reward in this.’ And the reward is the experience you get moving forward.”
Smart’s not just tossing out coach-speak. Stockton didn’t just step in - he leveled up.
The extra bowl practices, the reps against a top-tier Notre Dame defense in the playoff, the pressure of the moment - it all accelerated his development. And it showed.
By the time this season kicked off, Stockton wasn’t playing like a quarterback getting his first real taste of action. He looked seasoned.
Poised. Ready.
And that’s rare. Most first-time starters need a few games to find their rhythm.
Stockton hit the ground running.
That early poise was on full display in Week 3, when Georgia traveled to Knoxville for a showdown with Tennessee. It was a hostile environment, and the Vols nearly pulled off the upset.
But Stockton led a gutsy comeback, capped by a clutch fourth-down throw to tie the game late in regulation. Georgia went on to win in overtime - a defining moment in a still-young season.
Now, ask yourself this: Does Stockton make that throw, in that moment, without the reps he got last postseason? Without the pressure of facing Texas and Notre Dame on the biggest stage? Maybe not.
No one wanted Carson Beck to get hurt. But there’s no denying what came out of that moment.
Stockton got a head start. He got battle-tested.
And now, with Georgia eyeing another national title, that unexpected opportunity might just be the turning point that shaped the Bulldogs' season.
If Georgia finishes the job and hoists the trophy, don’t forget where this run really began - with a backup quarterback, thrown into the fire, who didn’t just survive it… he thrived.